Fincantieri’s FREMM Wins US Navy FFG(X) Frigate Competition

[The Ronin]

Fincantieri was awarded a $795 mil US Navy contract for detail design & construction of the first ship at its Marinette shipyard in Wisconsin. Options for up to 10 ships could make the contract worth up to $5.6 billion. Fincantieri was competing with a frigate design based on the Italian Navy's FREMM frigate.
Xavier Vavasseur 30 Apr 2020

From PEO USC Public Affairs

The US Navy awarded a contract to design and produce the next generation small surface combatant, the Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) today. The contract for detail design and construction (DD&C) of up to 10 Guided Missile Frigates (consisting of one base ship and nine option ships) was awarded to Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC) of Marinette, Wisconsin, officials announced.

“The Navy’s Guided-Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) will be an important part of our future fleet. FFG(X) is the evolution of the Navy’s Small Surface Combatant with increased lethality, survivability, and improved capability to support the National Defense Strategy across the full range of military operations. It will no doubt help us conduct distributed maritime operations more effectively, and improve our ability to fight both in contested blue-water and littoral environments.”

Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday

The FFG(X) will have multi-mission capability to conduct air warfare, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, electronic warfare, and information operations. Specifically FFG(X) will include an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR) radar, Baseline Ten (BL10) AEGIS Combat System, a Mk 41 Vertical Launch System (VLS), communications systems, MK 57 Gun Weapon System (GWS) countermeasures and added capability in the EW/IO area with design flexibility for future growth.

“I am very proud of the hard work from the requirements, acquisition, and shipbuilder teams that participated in the full and open competition, enabling the Navy to make this important decision today. Throughout this process, the government team and our industry partners have all executed with a sense of urgency and discipline, delivering this contract award three months ahead of schedule. The team’s intense focus on cost, acquisition, and technical rigor, enabled the government to deliver the best value for our taxpayers as we deliver a highly capable next generation Frigate to our Warfighters.”

James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition

The acquisition process for FFG(X) began in 2017. Since then the Navy has worked closely with Industry to balance cost and capability. This approach was successful in achieving an Average Follow ship cost across ships 2 – 20 that is below the objective set in the CDD and aligns to the National Defense Strategy’s stated goal of achieving a more lethal, resilient, and agile force by pursuing acquisition strategies to build ships more quickly and affordably. For example, because the Frigate acquisition program promoted shipbuilding competition, included early industry involvement, and open communication between all stakeholders the program was able to accelerate almost 6 years as compared to normal shipbuilding programs.

The Navy released the FFG(X) DD&C Request for Proposals to industry on June 20, 2019. Technical proposals were received in August 2019 and cost proposals were received in September 2019. This was a full and open competition with multiple offers received.

-Ends-

Naval News comments:

Fincantieri was competing against 3 shipbuilders:

• Austal with a frigate based on its Independence-class LCS
• Bath Iron Works (partnered with Navantia of Spain) with a frigate based on the F100
• Huntington Ingalls Industries with an unknown design

The future frigate of the U.S. Navy will be based on the Italian Navy FREMM in its anti-submarine warfare (ASW) variant (Virginio Fasan type but quite heavily modified, especially top-side). The vessel will have a length of 496 feet, a beam of 65 feet for a 7,500-ton displacement. According to Fincantieri, the ship will be future proof as it will generate 12 megawatts of power.


In terms of weapon systems, the frigate will be fitted with all the government furnished equipment as outlined by the U.S. Navy requirements:

• A Mk110 57mm main gun
• 32x Mk41 VLS
• Up to 16x NSM anti-ship missiles
• A RAM close in weapon system

The future frigate will be fitted with the future AN/SPY-6(V)3 radar by Raytheon and baseline 10 Aegis combat management system.

Here is our interview with Fincantieri’s Chuck Goddard (Vice President, FFG(X) Program) at SNA 2020 in January:

FREMM FFG(X) Technical Specifications:

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...q2R6-MRUQCUOe-oi26RK3WEcgHSg7rFS1P3jVWHLE8y3w

 

[F-22Raptor]

The Navy awarded a $795-million contract to Fincantieri to begin building a new class of guided-missile frigates, in the first new major shipbuilding program the service has started in more than a decade, the Navy announced today.

Fincantieri beat out what was originally four other competitors, who were asked by the Navy to take a mature parent design and evolve it to meet the Navy’s needs for potential high-end warfare. Fincantieri, which will build its frigate at its Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, based its FFG(X) design on the FREMM multi-mission frigate already operated by the French and Italian navies.

The detail design and construction contract covers one ship in the current Fiscal Year 2020 and options for as many as nine more ships, for a total value of $5.58 billion if all options are exercised.

“The Navy’s Guided-Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) will be an important part of our future fleet,” Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Gilday said in a Navy statement.
“FFG(X) is the evolution of the Navy’s Small Surface Combatant with increased lethality, survivability, and improved capability to support the National Defense Strategy across the full range of military operations. It will no doubt help us conduct distributed maritime operations more effectively, and improve our ability to fight both in contested blue-water and littoral environments.”

“I am very proud of the hard work from the requirements, acquisition, and shipbuilder teams that participated in the full and open competition, enabling the Navy to make this important decision today,” James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said in the statement.
“Throughout this process, the government team and our industry partners have all executed with a sense of urgency and discipline, delivering this contract award three months ahead of schedule. The team’s intense focus on cost, acquisition, and technical rigor, enabled the government to deliver the best value for our taxpayers as we deliver a highly capable next generation frigate to our warfighters.”

The Navy has spoken about its frigate program as the model of how it would like to approach ship acquisition in the future. By bringing together a FFG Requirements Evaluation Team (RET) that included the acquisition community, resource sponsors, the budget community, fleet representatives, technologists in and out of government and both shipbuilders and others in industry, the Navy was able to figure out early on how it might balance capability with cost. The service has said this approach shaved six years off the program, compared to what it might have looked like under more traditional approaches.

Navy leadership in 2017 determined that a new frigate program was needed beyond what could be modified on the Littoral Combat Ship program, which had been the sole small combatant in future fleet plans. The frigate would be more lethal and survivable than an LCS, they said, and the service stood up the FFG RET. Based on the RET’s work, the service approved top-level requirements in October 2017 and kicked off a conceptual design phase that spanned 16 months and included five industry teams. With confidence that industry would be able to meet the requirements, the Navy then validated its capability development document in February 2019, and the request for proposals for the detail design and construction contract was released in June.

The Navy also sped up the process and reduced risk to the program by relying heavily on government-furnished equipment, ensuring the frigate would use existing systems already fielded on other surface combatants in the fleet. These systems include an Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar (EASR), Baseline 10 Aegis Combat System, Mk 41 Vertical Launch System, and other communications and defensive systems with hot production lines and proven performance in the fleet. This not only speeds up the frigate design and construction effort but also has benefits for the cost of procuring these as GFE, maintaining a common inventory of spare parts and training sailors to operate the same system across multiple ship classes.

Going forward, the detail design phase will begin immediately, and construction will begin no later than April 2022. The first ship of the class – still yet to be named, despite an effort by outgoing Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly to name the frigates the Agility class – will deliver by April 2026 and reach initial operational capability by September 2030. The lead ship will cost $1.281 billion, with $795 million of that covering the shipbuilder’s detail design and construction costs and the rest covering the GFE, including the combat systems, radar, launchers, command and control systems, decoys and more.

For the rest of the class, the total ship cost – contractor costs and GFE – has dropped. The Navy previously said it was aiming for an average cost of ships 2 through 20 of $800 million in constant year 2018 dollars, with a requirement to stay below $950 million in CY 2018 dollars. Now the service has the average follow-on cost pegged at $781 million.

In selecting between the four remaining competitors – Fincantieri and its FREMM design; Austal USA, which builds the Independence-class LCSs; General Dynamics Bath Iron Works and Navantia, who builds the F100-class frigates for the Spanish Navy; Huntington Ingalls Industries, who has not revealed details of its bid – the Navy was balancing cost with non-cost factors to get to a best value. Design and design maturity were weighted equal to performance and the ability of the ship to meet the Navy’s warfighting needs as outlined in the National Defense Strategy and other documents. Schedule, production approach and facilities were weighted lower, with data rights being the lowest-weighted non-cost factor. The Navy was not looking for a straight price shoot-out but instead wanted the companies to compete for the best capability for the best value. Lockheed Martin, who builds the Freedom-variant LCS at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Wisconsin, had been part of the group of five in the conceptual design phase but dropped out of the competition.

https://news.usni.org/2020/04/30/fincantieri-wins-795m-contract-for-navy-frigate-program

 

[Constantin84]

So FREMM will join the US Navy? ....Si! Oui!

 

[F-22Raptor]

So FREMM will join the US Navy? ....Si! Oui!

This ship will be a beast.

- Aegis Baseline 10
- 16 Naval Strike Missiles
- 32 VLS with Maritime Strike Tomahawk, SM-6, ESSM, etc
- SEWIP Block 2/3 EW suites

 

[Constantin84]

This ship will be a beast.

- Aegis Baseline 10
- 16 Naval Strike Missiles
- 32 VLS with Maritime Strike Tomahawk, SM-6, ESSM, etc
- SEWIP Block 2/3 EW suites

You took the words out of my mouth, I was about to ask for specs. Truly it will carry a heavy punch for a frigate. Congrats!

 

[Ultima Thule]

This ship will be a beast.

- Aegis Baseline 10
- 16 Naval Strike Missiles
- 32 VLS with Maritime Strike Tomahawk, SM-6, ESSM, etc
- SEWIP Block 2/3 EW suites

Long range SAMs sir???

 

[F-22Raptor]

Long range SAMs sir???

SM-6 Block 1a

The US is also developing the hypersonic capable SM-6 Block 1b, replacing the 1As 13.5 rocket booster with a 21in booster. Its expected to reach hypersonic speeds with huge range. Anti air and anti ship capable missile...

 

[Ultima Thule]

SM-6 Block 1a

The US is also developing the hypersonic capable SM-6 Block 1b, replacing the 1As 13.5 rocket booster with a 21in booster. Its expected to reach hypersonic speeds with huge range. Anti air and anti ship capable missile...

Thanks sir

 

[ÇölKaplanı]

So, can we say finally a worthy successor to the OHP class emerged? I think this ship will be USN's own Type 54 frigates, but with a much more advanced sensor and weapons payload...

 

[The Ronin]

I think this ship will be USN's own Type 54 frigates, but with a much more advanced sensor and weapons payload

Calling it USN's own Type 54 is an insult to it i think. Type 54 doesn't even come close to it as it's far more deadlier than it. It's more like a light destroyer classified as frigate. Better compare it new Canadian, Australian or European frigate.

 

[striver44]

This ship will be a beast.

- Aegis Baseline 10
- 16 Naval Strike Missiles
- 32 VLS with Maritime Strike Tomahawk, SM-6, ESSM, etc
- SEWIP Block 2/3 EW suites

no torpedo launchers???

 

[Archie]

This 795 million USD
Is that just to design the ship
Or a complete manufacturing contract
Coz 795 million USD will get u 2 decent frigates or at max 4 shitty underequiped hulls

 

[ÇölKaplanı]

Calling it USN's own Type 54 is an insult to it i think. Type 54 doesn't even come close to it as it's far more deadlier than it. It's more like a light destroyer classified as frigate. Better compare it new Canadian, Australian or European frigate.

I mentioned Type 54 because they will be rivals. But otherwise yes we can mention others as well...

 

[Constantin84]

no torpedo launchers???

6x MK32 SVTT based 324mm torpedoes

 

[F-22Raptor]

It will also have the SPY-6 radar.